Haven''t really sat down and packed it all into my Brain pan. But it seemed to be well conducted with several witnesses, including a Naval officer. From what I could gather,it just proved that you should have SEVERAL different types of anchors for different bottoms. The Danforth in mud surprised me,as I thought sand would be its forte. The plow anchors in mud seem to come up lacking, another surprise. I also was searching for more info on the Herreschoff and found that they did a total of FOUR anchor tests . If any one wants to check them out, just type in --1990 anchor test and 1994 san francisco Anchor test in your browser. These people covered a lot of territory. I think the results are genuine.

Yes Dennis --if setting is your only requirement.According to the Vic-Maui 2000 anchor study, Bruce did set 97% of the time first try. BUT, it only held less of the loads the Danforth style anchors did . The conclusions I drew was that if ya don''t wanna fool around setting it, get a Bruce. If ya want it to HOLD, get a Danforth. But a note at the end of the test told quite quite a tale also-- anchor in good bottom. In other words LOOK for something for whatever anchor you have to bite into. They say not very many skippers carry a tallow line anymore. Nowadays to replace it, going with the push-a-button boys, ya get an underwater t.v. with an L.E.D. screen, but whatever. Find a good bottom, drop the anchor,don''t throw it, back slowly till it catches, play out 7 to 1 scope, then set it hard and see if it drags. Do it again if it fails. That seems to me to be the best way to do this thing. OH yeah, I think I''d go with the biggest son-of-a-gun of whatever anchor ya can handle !!

29 cascadefixer,
Well...when you consider that ,according to this test, it takes ,say, threehundred-fifty lbs of force to upset the Bruce, you have to be in gale force winds if your boat is a thirty-three footer.How many times have you done that?Gale force winds!Thats not bad.I can honestly say that I have hung on my thirty-three Bruce in that weather more than once in sand on three to one scope! And if you look at the Dutch anchor test, the Bruce sixteen (half the size)held to four hundred seven lbs.
Holding power can be kind of mis leading.Go back to those tests and look at all those ''no sets''.Acouple of times other anchors didn''t set at all!Now imagine your off a lee shore(and this happened to me at Quicks hole where the currant and seas get bad at certain tides)your motoring into a noreaster on the nose,your diesel sucks-up air and quits cause your fuel is low and seas are five and six foot chop.I dropped the Bruce and it stuck,the first time, so I could do what I had to do.
I''d be a fool to argue the holding power of a danforth type anchor but they can foul,and sometimes easily.And when they do they don''t re-set.The bruce does.There''s alot to be said for reiability in setting.And the Bruce...You don''t have to survey the bottom;just drop it;It''ll grab.How good is an anchor that only sets two times out of three.
True, the Bruce is not a storm anchor so just don''t use it as one.Thats why next to my Bruce on my anchor platform sits a CQR and in the bottom of my sail locker(I''m not stupid)lies a danforth twenty-five pounder.

Okay- drop it it sets. I''ll bow to your experience.It sounds like you feel secure with it. Also I notice that you keep two other types ready at hand.Thats a good idea also, I think. Its always better to have something and not need it, than need it and not have it. Just out of curiousity, why a CQR AND a Bruce.

Heres my 2 cents worth. Yes the Bruce is one of the best for quick set. Just as good is the SPADE anchor. Sets just about each and everytime. And like he said, if you engine just quit and you are on a lee shore, you want it to set NOW !.....Plus the SPADE has a very good holding power relatively and one of the best reseting capabilities of anchors out there. (This info is based on various tests and Practical sailor test).

It is kind of a cross between a Bruce and a CQR in that its a plow but with a Concave face to the bottom (Like the Bruce) and not convex (like a CQR). So it "scoops" the bottom and doesn''t plow it like a CQR.

ps.....so far I have been very happy with it. Left it in Block Island and a storm blew thru and I was on land ....I only had 4 to 1 scope (I do have an ''upsided'' anchor which is a 44lb model with a medium weight 36 foot sailboat....The rode had 15 feet of chain & 18 lb sentinel) The anchor held fine and my wind meter said that the winds maxed at 41 knots !

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